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Calcium requirements

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  • 17-03-2008 7:53pm
    #1
    LivingDeadGirl
    Registered Users Posts: 1,150 ✭✭✭


    Hey all,
    I'm 17 and have heard that whether or not you get brittle bone disease in later life is determined by the amount of calcium you take in before you're 25(yes this could be complete rubbish, in fact I hope it is!). With this in mind, I've become more conscious of the amount of calcium and associated vitamins I should be taking in each day. I generally eat non fat dairy products(skim milk, 0% fat yogurts etc), and also take in plenty of green veg, so maybe I am okay. Could anyone please tell me how many portions of calcium rich foods I should be eating everyday, and how much a portion would consist of?

    Thanks.


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    #2
    Faith
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 30,657 Mod ✭✭✭✭Faith


    You should be getting 1000mg of calcium a day. As to how many portions, well it depends on how much calcium is in each one.


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    #3
    EileenG
    Registered Users Posts: 5,775 ✭✭✭EileenG


    1000g is about right, more if pregnant or breastfeeding, or on a low calorie diet.

    However, you also need magnesium, vitamin D, vitamin K and some trace minerals as well. Calcium is absorbed best in the presence of fats, particularly saturated fat, so don't be too rigid with the low fat dairy. Also, calcium that has been added to things like cereal are not absorbed as well as from food that naturally has them, like cheese and green veg.

    If you are supplementing, go for a cal/mag which has a 2:1 ratio, plus some vitamin D as well. Or take it with some fish oil.

    Tea is good for your bones, but coffee and particularly cola drinks, are bad. Try to go very easy on anything which has sugar or refined carbs, they tend to deplete your supply of calcium.

    The ultimate bone builder is weight bearing exercise and high impact exercise. So lift weights and jump rope. They've done studies on this stuff, and reckon that 20 jumps in a row, then rest, then jump again, is the best routine for keeping bones strong.

    There is a home test you can do to check your bones. Vertical jump. It seems that your ability to do a vertical leap is directly proportional to the density of your bones.

    Reach up as high as you can and make a mark on the wall. Then jump straight up and see how much higher you can reach. Do best out of three. 12 inches for a woman or 18 inches for a man is considered normal, but you know your own fitness level best. If your leap is lower than you'd expect, it might be worth booking a dexa scan.

    There is a grain of truth in that, in that your bones are still active until until your early 20s and it is relatively easy to increase density by a good diet and weight bearing exercise. After that, it is a much harder job. However, there is one more window of opportunity to strengthen bones. When you are breastfeeding, your bones become active again and breastfeeding for six months decreases your chance of osteoporosis by about 75%.


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